He used your debit card?
Yes.
I need proof.
There's something here that has to do with men.
I have no idea.
They're male enhancement pills 'cause he's impotent.
That's not true, Your Honor. (laughs)
Well, then, you stayed with the wrong guy for a couple of months.
[announcer] This is Judy Justice.
[theme music playing]
[announcer] Previously on Judy Justice.
It says, "In June, I woke up and there was a random girl
in my house at 2:00 in the morning.
Joseph came into my room, he put a gun to my head and said,
"Don't ever tell me who I can have over.'"
This is this whole story you made up with your sister
because you did try to get a restraining order against him.
There's nothing there about your sister.
Just--don't say anything that's gonna make you look stupid
because I'm a pro at that.
The police refused to put him off the property.
- That's a yes? - [Marinda] Yes.
[chuckles] Now we see it's all coming together.
I was in a good mood. I'm getting in a better mood.
[announcer] And now, the conclusion.
Marinda Conway has accused her former friend with benefits,
Joseph Ethier, of withholding her property
and using her debit card without permission.
Joseph says Marinda filed a false restraining order against him.
So then your sister went to court
and filed for a restraining order
and she alleged to--let me guess,
in the restraining order that he put a gun to her head.
- Is that what you did? - Correct.
[laughs]
In order to get him off the property?
- Uh-hmm. - [Judge Judy] Just a second.
Ultimately, that restraining order was dismissed, am I correct?
Correct.
[Judge Judy] But did you in fact for a period of time,
between the time it was dismissed
and the time you filed it get him off the property?
- Yes, it had a move out order. - [Judge Judy] Just a second.
Of course, because the judge said, based upon what you wrote,
that he put a gun to your head, that he was a threat to you,
so you and your sister
- managed to get him off the property. - Right.
[Judge Judy] And because you didn't show up for the restraining order hearing
or because the judge heard the hearing and dismissed it, it was dismissed?
Correct.
Oh, I'm still in a good mood.
I'm so glad.
[Judge Judy] So I only have a couple of questions for you, sir,
now that my job is made easier
'cause I know who I'm dealing with on this side.
- Yes. - [Judge Judy] And I know a little bit
about whom I'm dealing with on this side.
There are a couple of easy parts to this story now
that we understand the characters here,
- who want from you, like, $9,000. - [Joseph] Yeah.
You took her car?
No, I did not take her car.
Do you know who took her car?
- Yes, I do. - [Judge Judy] Who did?
My ex-girlfriend.
[Judge Judy] And the ex-girlfriend was also a girlfriend
when you were sort of friends with benefits
- with her in March or not? - [Joseph] No.
We split up.
- [Judge Judy] You had split up? - That's why I rented the house.
And your ex-girlfriend's name is?
[...]
[Judge Judy] And the car was impounded.
Do you know when your ex-girlfriend took the car?
No, I do not.
Did you give the police that information?
No, I did not. And I never spoke to the police about a car.
[Judge Judy] How did you find out that your car was in impound?
I came in on my flight from Oregon on July 1st,
I went by the house, my car was gone.
I thought maybe it got towed until I called the city
to see if it got towed.
They said no, it didn't get towed.
I tried calling Rick several times until--for the next two days,
I called him to see if maybe he had the car for some reason.
He never did answer my call, and in July 4th,
I reported the car stolen.
July 24th, his ex-girlfriend got ahold me.
Facebook messaged me, said that...
[Judge Judy] Just a--just a second.
Don't tell me what she said to you.
If you have it in your phone,
- I will look at it. - [Marinda] Okay.
So he says that his ex-girlfriend took the car.
So now I'd like to see what you have from her in your text messages.
- I don't have a whole bunch of time here. - [Marinda] I know.
- Well then... - I'm trying to...
I don't know how to spell her name.
[Judge Judy] Well, listen to me.
It is your allegation that the defendant took your car.
- [Marinda] Uh-hmm. - [Judge Judy] Without your permission.
- [Marinda] I have a sworn statement... - [Judge Judy] Just a second.
...from the person that he took the car to,
- saying that he brought the car there. - [Judge Judy] Just a second.
- When the cops found it. - [Judge Judy] I need proof.
- If you have a police report... - [Marinda] I do.
...I will read a police report.
Here you go.
- And then I have the conversation... - Shh.
Okay.
So now I have a report that you made of the stolen vehicle that says
that you don't know who took the car.
Right. I didn't know who took the car.
And this is the page--maybe she deleted her account before...
- [Judge Judy] Just a second. - ...coming here.
[Judge Judy] Just a second. The only thing that I'm entertaining now
is getting the car out of impound and what it'll cost you
- to get the car out of impound. - Uh-hmm.
[Judge Judy] And in order to do that,
I have to determine if he took the car in retaliation
or for whatever reason or if he importuned somebody else to take the car.
Did you tell your girlfriend to take the car?
- Never. - [Judge Judy] Okay.
Your ex-girlfriend to take the car.
So now you have exactly 30 seconds to produce proof to me,
'cause that's why we're here today, that's one of the allegations.
- And this. - [Judge Judy] Okay.
- This is the impound bill. - [Judge Judy] Just a second.
Just a--I just wanna see proof
that he was the person who took your car.
[Marinda] Okay. So here's the Facebook messages from her.
And another one, he's giving me the address after [indistinct]
[Judge Judy] Just a second. I wanna see...
This is from the guy that-- where he took the car to,
where the cops found the car, it's a statement from him saying that--
I don't read a statement from anybody.
Okay. And then here's the impound fee.
[Shani] Find the other thing.
[Judge Judy] All right. Your ex-girlfriend's name is [...]?
Yes.
[Judge Judy] Are you sure that you don't want to acknowledge to me
that you had something to do with getting her car impounded?
I had nothing to do with it.
That you never drove her car off the premises?
Never drove--no, I did not.
[Judge Judy] Did your girlfriend drive the car off the premises?
Apparently, she did.
- [Judge Judy] No, not apparently. - Yes.
Were you in communication with her?
That's either a yes or a no.
Yes.
Listen, it was by your choice because you slept with him there.
My mistake was sleeping with him.
Well, just a second. It was your mistake
- because you slept with him there. - Right.
Never gonna figure out this whole scenario.
I'm really getting a zha-zha in my head as a result of it.
[theme music playing]
[announcer] Marinda Conway has accused her former friend with benefits,
Joseph Ethier, of withholding her property
and using her debit card without permission.
Joseph says Marinda filed a false restraining order against him.
Okay. On what date were you in communication
with the now ex-girlfriend?
Um, here and there ever since...
[Judge Judy] Here and there and everywhere?
- She's... - Did you discuss with her the car?
- No. - Who's [...]?
He's a friend of mine.
Tell me what he had to do with this car, sir?
Apparently, the car was found on his property.
Where he lives in an apartment complex or...
Now, he's your friend?
- [Joseph] Yes, he is. - Yes.
You're gonna pay the impound fees, $330.
Okay. Uh-hmm.
- And [indistinct] when I got the car... - [Judge Judy] Yeah, don't speak.
- Don't... - It had a cracked windshield.
- [Judge Judy] Don't--listen. - My stereo was pulled out of it.
[Judge Judy] Listen. Did you take his stuff?
- No. - [Judge Judy] Did you take anything
that belongs to him?
At some point, did you take it and then give it back?
- When I didn't... - [Judge Judy] Question,
did you take it and give it back?
- Yes. - [Judge Judy] That's all I asked you.
You took it and you gave it back.
But it was stuff that I gave him that I took.
Who cares? Once you give something, that's a gift.
- [Marinda] Right. Right. - You can't take it and give it back,
and then take it and give it back.
You took his things.
That's not true...
- I didn't ask you anything. - [Joseph] Okay.
[Judge Judy] Now what property did you take of hers
that you were holding onto as a result of this stupid seat situation?
What I did was withheld her stuff from her that she left in the house.
[Judge Judy] Where is it?
It's still--yeah, I left it in the house when I left.
What stuff?
[Joseph] Uh, her clothes, everything she left in the house.
- [Judge Judy] It's still there? - [Joseph] It's--was still there,
I have a video of, uh, documentation of when I left the house.
[Judge Judy] Okay. What is it that you claim that he...
He took the whole house, everything in that house was mine.
He took the whole house. And more than anything,
I just want my videos back of my kids
and, um, videos back of my ex, because he's passed away.
And that's all that we have.
I don't care if he keeps my stuff.
I want the videos back.
[Judge Judy] Okay.
Very carefully.
[Joseph] Uh-hmm.
Because, you know, I'm an equal opportunity abuser.
[Joseph] I understand.
And everything in the house was mine
- because I was living there. - [Judge Judy] Shh. Just a second.
So was he.
Not by my choice.
[Judge Judy] Listen, it was by your choice
- because you slept with him there. - [Marinda] Right.
My mistake for sleeping with him.
[Judge Judy] Well, just a sec.
It was your mistake because you slept with him there.
I mean, he wasn't a trespasser.
Okay.
Never gonna figure out this whole scenario,
I'm really getting a zha-zha in my head as a result of this.
She wants her stuff.
- Did you throw it away? - No, I did not.
[Judge Judy] So that means that you still have some of it?
[Joseph] I don't have any of it when I left the premises.
I left it in the house.
When I got thrown out of the house, I had 15 minutes to get my stuff.
So, the cops let me go get my stuff, I left,
my friends went back to get what they could of mine.
And they left everything of hers.
- [Judge Judy] Just a second. - But they took everything.
[Judge Judy] So is what you're telling me, that friends of yours went in.
Yes.
Asked your friends to go in and get stuff.
My stuff.
[Judge Judy] Well, they took other stuff.
- [Joseph] No, what they took... - They took the whole house.
[Judge Judy] Don't.
[Joseph] Okay. While they were doing it,
we were doing the Duo video chat or whatever,
and I was pointing out to them what to take and what not to take.
And then I have a video document everything that was left in the house,
which is on my phone.
And it's all her stuff.
[Marinda] I have pictures of the house when we came into it.
It was completely emptied off.
I have pictures of the house before I left there.
- [Joseph] Uh-hmm. - And pictures of my stuff in the room.
And then when we got entry into the house and it all being emptied up.
What?
[Shani] He took the blinds off the windows.
I mean, he left it bare.
[Judge Judy] Let me explain something to you.
It's very hard when people start out by lying to me.
- Uh-hmm. - [Judge Judy] To have any sympathy
whatsoever for them.
The person who started out lying was him.
No, the people starting out lying was you.
- No, it wasn't. - [Judge Judy] Oh, yeah.
You want me to read you what you wrote?
- Uh-hmm. I guess my... - [Judge Judy] In your complaint?
You want me to read you the first line?
[Marinda] Um, I have my timeline of everything going down.
No, no, no. No, just--I'm gonna read you
what you swore to in your complaint.
I've read it to you before.
And it bears no reasonable resemblance
to the story that just came out here today.
Absolutely none.
So with what you're saying to me, and now you can sit,
if what you're saying to me is the only thing
that you're interested in are the tapes,
and pictures, and photographs,
which are irreplaceable that were taken, he doesn't have them.
- Yes, he does. - So I can't place the value on them.
I have his friend Bobby was the one
- who went and picked up my stuff. - And my door that got kicked down.
I don't want you to speak.
[Marinda] I have a recorded statement from his best friend,
saying that he--that he paid him to go clean out the house,
- I have it recorded on my phone. - [Judge Judy] Just a second.
Just a second. What I'm telling you is if what--your complaint is
that you want money for the storage of the car
and getting it out of impound, that you're gonna get.
- And the value of my accounts. - [Judge Judy] Just a second.
That, you're gonna get.
The next thing that you complain about
are things that were taken out of the house.
- Yeah. - [Judge Judy] The things that you told me
- that you really want are memorabilia. - [Marinda] Uh-hmm.
- Yeah. - Tapes.
He says he doesn't have them.
He's lying.
[Judge Judy] Well, he may be lying, so were you.
I don't know.
The final thing that I have to deal with are debit card charges.
So now I want you to show me
what you claim he took out from your debit card.
- He made online purchases. - Just a second.
- [Marinda] He never had my debit card. - Just a second, just a second.
I always physically had it.
But he took a picture of my debit card
and then made online purchases from my debit card.
All I'm asking you is to show me.
[Marinda] This right here.
Show me that he made online purchases from your debit card.
- [Marinda] Okay. There you go. - I just need proof that he made...
Here in July-- I found out about it in July.
[Judge Judy] Just a second. Does anything that you are giving to Kevin
demonstrate that he used your debit card?
- Yes. - [Judge Judy] Fine.
Don't hand me a whole bunch of papers.
Take a pen, point out, where he...
I already did. They're circled.
Perfect.
That's June and I have July here.
And then some of the items I found in the house when I gained entry,
which was a tool bag that he bought from Home Depot for $389,
I have that receipt here in my phone.
- [Judge Judy] Okay. - Some combat boots
that he bought [indistinct]
Nine dollars for some--shh.
Amazon, debit purchase, $54.
Doesn't say for what.
Amazon purchase, which I assume was delivered to the house.
- That was in June. - Uh-hmm.
- Were you still living together... - I left the house in June.
- [Judge Judy] Shh. - June 6th.
You left the house June 6th.
And those charges started happening
- June 8th. - [Judge Judy] Just a second.
When did you return to the house?
- [Marinda] I never did. - [Judge Judy] After June?
I returned there August 5th.
[Judge Judy] Oh.
[Marinda] And I have a picture of the tool bag I found.
There was a $389 tool bag bought from homedepot.com, shipped to the house,
that was in the house when I gained entry into the house,
which I took from the house.
- And then-- - Just a second.
So you took it from the house?
- Yes, uh-huh. - [Judge Judy] Okay. Just a minute.
I don't think that the courts are supposed to be abused...
- I am... - [Judge Judy] Just a second.
You had a choice.
You had a choice not to commit fraud by lying to the court,
because the three of you were involved in this ever-crazier arrangement.
[theme music playing]
[announcer] Marinda Conway claims defendant Joseph Ethier
used her debit card without permission and threatened her with a gun.
Joseph claims the restraining order against him was dismissed.
- Well, both of you made charges on this. - No.
[Judge Judy] Both of you made charges on the debit card.
I don't buy anything online.
[Judge Judy] However, I have to ask you this question, Mr. Ethier,
there's something here that has to do with muscle men.
- What is that? - [Joseph] I have no idea.
No idea whatsoever.
They're male enhancement pills 'cause he's impotent.
Uh, that's not true, Your Honor. (laughs)
Well, then you stayed with the wrong guy for a couple of months.
- I never, ever charged any... - [Judge Judy] Just...
- Okay. - [Judge Judy] Is what you're telling me,
'cause nothing says that it was shipped or that you ordered it.
- Uh-hmm. - [Judge Judy] Unless you can show me
other than the fact that you circled things that say...
I got my whole year history here,
I don't--I'm--I don't buy online.
I don't buy anything on Amazon.
And I have, um,
- Home Depot recorded statement... - [Judge Judy] Okay. So...
...from them saying that everything did get shipped,
I recorded my conversations with my bank,
saying that everything was shipped and they reversed the credit.
- I have it all recorded. - I don't wanna listen to the bank.
- That's still hearsay, madam. - Uh-hmm.
I wanna see proof that you have,
that he used this debit card.
[Marinda] Okay. So he bought--okay, so...
- Just not--just proof... - [Marinda] On that bank statement,
there is a Home Depot charge for $389
and he bought this tool bag with that I took from the house,
and I have the receipt from Home Depot right here.
[Judge Judy] Okay. Now, you now have that item.
- That's correct. - [Judge Judy] Okay.
Tell me about that item.
That is what my witness is for.
The item that she's speaking of, the tool bag,
was his tool bag that she stole out of my truck.
She broke into my truck and took his...
- [Judge Judy] Just a second. - Uh-hmm.
Who purchased it?
[Joseph] I don't know. It wasn't me.
- And it wasn't him. - [Judge Judy] What...
I've got her several times accusing...
It happens to be the same one...
[Judge Judy] Just a second, just a second.
[Joseph] I have--I have her accusing three different people of using her card.
Me, him, his girlfriend, and then back to me again.
- Well, that's possible. - [Joseph] Yeah.
But these tools were purchased at Home--listen to me.
Yes.
The tools were purchased at Home Depot.
[Joseph] Right.
[Judge Judy] She took the tools that were in the house,
she--so they must've been a lot of tools, either in the house or in the truck.
- Just the tool bag. - [Judge Judy] But she paid for them.
No, ma'am.
These were his existing tool bags that she took.
- No, this was a brand new tool bag... - These, these--okay.
that I have the receipt for.
- They even gave me a picture of it. - [Judge Judy] I'd like to see it.
I'd like to see it.
[Marinda] Okay. So here's the receipt.
[Joseph] If she has a receipt, I mean, she paid for it, right?
- [Marinda] Right here. - Don't talk.
[Marinda] There's the receipt, and then the next picture over
is the tool bag I got from the house.
And this happens to be the same tool bag as in my receipt.
- [Judge Judy] And you took it? - I did.
Do you have any use for a tool bag?
[Shani] She was gonna give it to the...
- [Judge Judy] Did you-- - [Shani] ...cops for evidence.
I tried to give it to the cops for evidence.
- Just a second. - [Marinda] Yeah.
Don't speak.
This isn't a dance.
And then, um, on my other account,
there was $953 in purchases,
and one of them is for a Plenty of Fish dating site
that I asked Plenty of Fish to investigate it and it was his profile.
[Judge Judy] Just--okay.
$841.
That includes the two things that I find over there that were in fact yours, sir.
And the $330 for the towing.
Judgment for the plaintiff, we're finished.
- Thank you. - What about my other accounts?
- [Kevin] Court is adjourned. - All the...
You should be very lucky that I'm awarding you anything.
I'm gonna tell you why.
You used the court to get him out of the house.
- Uh-hmm. - [Judge Judy] With a false allegation
because you couldn't get him out of the house otherwise.
- Yeah. - You're very lucky that you got a penny.
Do you understand?
I don't think that the courts are supposed to be abused
- like that. - Uh-hmm.
- [Judge Judy] When housing court is a... - I [indistinct]
[Judge Judy] Just a second.
You had a choice.
You had a choice not to commit fraud by lying to the court
and telling them that something happened that was violent that didn't happen
because the three of you were involved in this ever-crazier arrangement.
So what I'm telling you is you're lucky you got a penny.
We're done here now.
- Okay. What about my... - We're done here now.
Court is adjourned.
Step this way, ma'am.
Well, I don't believe she should've been awarded anything
because I never stole her car, never, never bought a tool belt.
She stole that from me out of my truck.
That's about him committing fraud on my account,
stealing my car, kicking over my house,
and just being a nuisance, really.
As far as I know, she went out and purchased it,
and had something, you know, use it as evidence against me or whatever.
But other than that, yeah, I think it's a lot better than $9,000.
Of course he's gonna deny that.
I never had a firearm, never pointed a gun to her head, never.
I don't know, I don't know guns, I don't know what kind of gun it was.
You know, 'cause it was at my head
and it was--it was at night and lights weren't on.
I mean, she said she left the next day.
If I were to put a gun to her head, I thought I--you know,
if that were me, I would've left immediately,
you know, and press charges, right?
I don't know. I don't know anything about a .22
or I don't know anything about guns.
Because she kept calling police to try to get them--
to get me out of the house when, you know,
I have my rights and stuff, so they couldn't do it, so...
And, you know, I mean, it--I'm just glad he's gone.
Uh, judge saw right through her.
It's time to protect myself and I got a bad picker.
[Judge Judy] That case was exhausting.
I could tell you were confused from start to finish.
It was just so convoluted and...
- They know what happened. - Uh-hmm.
But because it's so bizarre.
They tried to tell another story.
It was so confusing when I in fact read the complaint
and the answer, and so inconsistent with what they were telling me.
Almost every line.
[Judge Judy] Almost every line.
And, you know, you get to a point where both parties
are trying to obfuscate the truth
that you actually lose interest.
The primary thing that actually irritate
and has always irritated me is when you abuse the court system
- to get something done. - Uh-hmm.
[Judge Judy] To get it done illegally in order to expedite it.
You're willing to sign a document that says, "I've been duly sworn, depose,
and says he put a gun to my head, etcetera."
Somebody looks at that and say, "Oh, my goodness.
We're gonna put you out of the house.
We're going to prevent you from seeing your children."
When it's used a mechanism rather than the truth,
so she is very lucky...
[Sarah] Yeah.
...that she got any money.
That and when they try and use that same court to their benefit,
the same court that they had just scammed to get their way.
- Right, right. - [Sarah] Yeah.
[announcer] Want justice?
Go to JudyJustice.tv.
[theme music playing]